Family Doctor 2008

PREVENTIVE SERVICES feeling great Prevention is better than cure Taking preemptive action is the key to ensuring your wellness. With this in mind, follow these guidelines for a healthier, longer life. By Angelike M. Gaunt H eart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes are some of the most common causes of disability and DID YOU KNOW? Regular visits to the doctor improve your chances of staying healthy. early death in the United States. For many people, much of this early burden of illness is completely preventable. While it’s true that gender and family history may put you at higher risk of certain conditions, these factors only account for part of your risk. In many cases, the choices you make about the way you live play a much bigger role in how healthy you are. Exercising, eating a healthy diet and not smoking are a few things you can do to prevent many health conditions. Any positive changes you make in these areas can improve your health and reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke. blood pressure. Knowing how much you weigh may help you recognize when it’s time to make certain changes to the way you eat and how active you are. Depending on your age and health, your doctor may measure your height, weight and waist circumference, and calculate your body mass index (BMI) regularly. Blood pressure. High blood pressure damages blood vessels and raises the risk of stroke, kidney failure, heart disease and heart attack. Catching high blood pressure early can encourage you to make simple changes in your life before it becomes a serious problem. If you’re 18 or older, you should have your blood pressure checked at least once every 2 years. If you’ve had high blood pressure in the past, your doctor may want to check it more often. Cholesterol. Too much cholesterol in your blood can raise your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Men who are 35 or older and women who are 45 or older should have their cholesterol checked regularly. If yours is too high, you and your doctor can decide which lifestyle changes, such as exercise and diet, you need to make to lower your cholesterol levels. If diet and exercise alone don’t help, your doctor may prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs. Colorectal cancer. If you’re aged 50 or older, be you should for cancer. screened colorectal Colorectal cancer is among the leading causes of cancer death, but it can be prevented. Screening tests can detect growths (also called “polyps”) on the inside The top 10 causes of death in the United States are: 1 Heart disease 2 Cancer 3 Stroke 4 Chronic bronchitis and emphysema 5 Accidents (many are related to alcohol) 6 Diabetes 7 Alzheimer’s disease 8 Inﬂuenza and pneumonia 9 Kidney disease 10 Infection of your colon before they become cancerous. People who are at higher risk for colon cancer should be screened earlier than age 50. Angelike M. Gaunt is a senior associate editor with the American Academy of Family Physicians, headquartered in Leawood, Kan. Preventive screening Regular visits to the doctor also improve your chances of staying healthy. Preventive screenings can alert you and your family doctor to problems before they become more serious. Depending on factors such as your age, gender, family health history and health condition, you may need different types of screening tests. Talk with your family doctor about which tests are right for you and your family, and about how often they should be done. Measuring up. Being severely overweight or obese can cause coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high ADDITIONAL INFORMATION American Academy of Family Physicians http://familydoctor.org/175.xml MedLine Plus http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/ article/001921.htm U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm and http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.htm familydoctor 2008 21 http://familydoctor.org/175.xml http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001921.htm http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001921.htm http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.htm

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Family Doctor 2008

Family Doctor 2008 Foreward Introduction Contents What Do You Want From Health Care? Confident Communication Need a New Doctor? Understanding Your Health Insurance OTC Safety as Simple as 1-2-3 The Fight Against Resistance Drug Interactions Prevention is Better than Cure Hitting a Home Run 'The Herbalist Will See You Now' Healthy Eating to Boost Your Heart and Health Exercise: The Elixir of Life Back from the Brink Taking Control Up All Night Vitamins and Minerals 101 Allergies: Combating the Causes Protect Yourself From Colds and the Flu Diabetes: Assessing Your Risk Dealing with Diabetes The Cholesterol Count Getting a Grip on Hypertension Facts About CKD Banish the Burn Easing the Pain Stop the Pounding Urinary Tract Infections: Common and Preventable Skin Essentials The ABCs of COPD Impotence: Tackling the Old Taboo Taking Responsibility for Your Health Prostate Cancer Screening: Is it For You? Protecting Your Prostate Heart Disease and Women: Know the Risks Birth Control to Suit You Maneuvering Through Menopause Help for PMS Infertility: Problems Having a Baby Preventive Health: What Women Need to Know Pregnancy: Taking Care of You and Your Baby Eating for Two Postpartum Mood Disorders The Basics of Breast Milk Newborn Screening Tests: Possible Lifesavers Common Newborn Conditions Childhood Vaccines: Why They're Necessary Food Allergies: The Facts Facing Your Acne Raising Grades Staying On Your Feet Age Gracefully: Take Care of Your Bones Battling Osteoarthritis Tackling Anxiety Beating the Blues

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